The present invention relates to a pistol for setting surgical clamps having a pistol grip for operating a forceps closing mechanism and a removable staple magazine.
For hygienic reasons, only disposable pistols are used at the present time for setting surgical clamps which results in high costs. From the German patent 4303544 A1, a reloading magazine is known, which is fastened to the distal end of an endoscopic shaft in order to transfer clamps from the reloading magazine into a magazine of the pistol. With the reloading magazine, the disposable pistol is kept in use during the period of the surgical intervention by the reloading of clamps. However it is a disadvantage that a complicated reloading mechanism is necessary that the reloading mechanism requires special dexterity for reloading and does not preclude mechanical malfunctions, such as jamming of the clamps during their transfer, as well as defects in the reloading magazine and in the forceps-closing device. Furthermore, the pistol is disposed of at the end of the surgical intervention because sterilization of the pistol is not practical since the pistol consists of several individual parts, which must be disinfected and cleaned individually. Additionally, special tools and knowledge are required for disassembling and assembling the pistol and there are individual parts, such as springs, which can be cleaned only with great difficulty.